08336: cybrcycc, ridgerac ?: No highscores (entering initials) possible?

ID	Category [?]	Severity [?]	Reproducibility	Date Submitted	Last Update
08336	Gameplay	Minor	Always	May 31, 2022, 05:01	Jun 2, 2022, 09:23

Tester	CYBERYOGI -CO-Windler	View Status	Public	Platform	MAME (Official Binary)
Assigned To		Resolution	Invalid report	OS	Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
Status [?]	Closed			Driver	namco/namcos22.cpp
Version	0.244	Fixed in Version		Build	64-bit
		Fixed in Git Commit		Github Pull Request #

Summary	08336: cybrcycc, ridgerac ?: No highscores (entering initials) possible?
Description	In "Cyber Cycles" (in Green Hill level,with novice bike?) I finished the race with a better time than the defaults of the highscore list, but the game ends without letting me enter initials for a new highscore. Also the depicted highscores were still all >3 minutes despite mine was 2 minutes-something. Did Namco really make it that insanely hard to beat any of the default highscores? This makes no sense since it discourages players and so deters them from inserting coins again. (For comparison: In "Pole Position" Namco had invented a huge 300 items highscore list that was unique at its time but gave most players the satisfaction to compare their ranking.) I already tried to reset highscores through service mode but nothing changes. Or is this an error protection mode by lack of emulated LAN, because the in-game texts look like it was not really designed to be operated this ("Up to 1 can play simultaneously" or such things.) but (according to operating manual) is only offered to temporary disable one half of the arcade machine (that was sold only as a dual-screen model) when defective. E.g. in the game there is only a single computer opponent (green/black bike) on the track, but overtaking him makes your position only advance from 3rd to 2nd but never to 1st position. (Or is this an undocumented DIP switch issue?) Interesting are the letters of the default initials. On one highscore page they are all anagrams of "NAMCO". In another "INITIAL.INITIAL"(?) and in another "/USR/LOCAL/BIN/". Particularly the last one is bizarre, so I thought it was a bug caused by outputting garbage from uncleared internal memory. Also in "Ridge Racer" I can not make a new highscore although at least on the easiest level I several times finished the race.
Steps To Reproduce	Has anybody in MAME reached a highscore in these games and could enter initials!?
Additional Information
Github Commit

Flags
Regression Version
Affected Sets / Systems	cybrcycc, ridgerac ?

Attached Files	0000.png (72,353 bytes) Jun 1, 2022, 08:49 Uploaded by hap cyber cycles hs

No.20272 hap Developer Jun 1, 2022, 07:56 edited on: Jun 1, 2022, 08:40	The condition is: win the race. edit oh, and in ridgerac IIRC you must pick time trial mode.
No.20276 Hydreigon Tester Jun 1, 2022, 22:38 edited on: Jun 1, 2022, 22:46	Namco did make requirement of winning 1st place to enter a high score but at least was possible in singleplayer. Also, cybrcycc split the ranking between solo and link/multiplayer and recall the requirements are the same for multiplayer (get 1st overall instead of against other linked players). It's part of the game design but agree this makes no sense (Sega racing games around that time didn't have that strict requirement). motoxgo has the exact same requirement too after playing on actual h/w a few times. What made this worse was in solo mode, there's an extremely cheap AI that keeps ahead for 90% of the race to the point the only way to place 1st is to do a perfect run. In any linked mode, the cheap AI would be removed.
No.20281 CYBERYOGI -CO-Windler Viewer Jun 2, 2022, 04:33 edited on: Jun 2, 2022, 04:42	That's crazy. But in Cyber Cycles on MAME I not even see a 2nd computer opponent on the track (only the non-counting additional green "obstacle" opponents those are not on the position display) so there is no chance to overtake 2 opponents to become number 1. Is there perhaps an undocumented DIP switch set wrong or the lack of LAN makes the game omit the 2nd opponent? The positions where the computer opponents pop up after crash or randomly speed up and overtake also seems to have nothing to do with the player's current lap time, so winning the race by lap time and becoming 1st is independent. I always thought the score whore behaviour of games like Space Harrier was worst (the more coins you insert to continue, the higher the score, i.e. highscore indicated solely how well you can pay, not play), but unless this was a specialized prize competition romset version, the behaviour of Cyber Cycles is insane. Or can the operator somehow set the minimum score to be beaten and difficulty of the computer opponents? (I found nothing mentioned in its manual nor service menu.)
No.20288 hap Developer Jun 2, 2022, 09:22	2 CPU opponents, they are the green dots on the mini map.